Bohemia Interactive Australia moves to bigger offices

Bohemia Interactive is moving offices in Australia in a move that will allow for six new positions to open up over the next three years at the studio, which combines sales and customer support staff with developers working on the tech behind the games.

Born out of an offshoot of Operation Flashpoint called Virtual Battlespace, the Australian sattelite studio for Bohemia Interactive goes under the monicle BISim AU, and specialises in providing training and simulation services to militaries including Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the US and UK.

“The NSW Government’s support has helped us establish a dedicated training facility, which we were unable to do at our Nelson Bay offices due to space limitations,” said Ryan Stephenson, MD of BISim AU. "The software is ideal for first-person tactical training and mission rehearsal, a very unique capability in the military simulation sector."

"We’re already seeing significant interest in what we can offer from military and defence organisations throughout Asia – including Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Singapore.”

Acting Premier and Minister for Regional Infrastructure and Services Andrew Stoner recently went to the site and visited the team, touting the state government's involvement in the expansion.

The state government has pushed the expansion through its Regional Industries Investment Fund (RIIF), a reminder to other Aussie developers that the now defunct Australian Interactive Games Fund was one of several avenues to support setting up or expanding local studios.

SBS tech and current affairs news program The Feed has highlighted the Victorian State government's initiative in filling in a significant gap left by the Federal Government's removal of games funding.